1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an interactive system and method for increased comprehension, expression and recognition of English and other languages through representation and generation of sounds and words.
2. State of the Art
Fluency is defined as the ability to understand the ideas and views of others, spoken and written, and the ability to communicate ideas and views through speech and writing. There is a difference between simple recognition of words and the ability to read, write, listen, speak and think in a language. When people are fluent in a language, they begin to read to learn instead of learning to read. This is a large advantage to the person and society.
The Biblical story of the "Tower of Babel" teaches that to understand one another people must communicate with each other, that communication is a prerequisite to cooperation, and that cooperation is an essential characteristic of a healthy and successful society. Only by communicating can people share experiences, teach and learn from one another, dispel fear of the unknown and improve their lives and their society.
It should be understood, however, that the need for a shared language is not a call for one language, or for one culture. Maintaining ethnic, racial and cultural diversity is important for a healthy, vibrant, successful world. For example, diversity has helped to build America and is as important to its future as it was to its past. However, diversity must not doom Americans to live in a Tower of Babel, unable to communicate and cooperate.
In the United States, the common shared language is English. It is important that all Americans read, write, listen, speak and think in English. Just as a musician's instrument must be tuned for the music to be enjoyed, a thought must be expressed correctly for it to be understood. The English language is also used throughout the world in a wide range of areas such as science, technology, medicine, finance, diplomacy and world trade. People with good English skills have a large advantage over people without such skills: they get a better education, better jobs, make more money and live better lives. Literate people can learn math, history science and other subjects that illiterate people find daunting, if not impossible. Additionally, both attitude and self-confidence improve when a person becomes fluent in a language.
In the United States, low student test scores in English Language Arts makes it evident that there is a need for an effective English Language Arts Program for kindergarten through fourth grade, remedial and educationally handicapped students and for students whose native language is other than English.
In the past, there have several attempts to provide methods and systems to better a person's command of an unknown language. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,218,537, U.S. Pat. No. 4,354,842, U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,826, U.S. Pat. No. 5,618,180, U.S. Pat. No. 5,567,159, U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,671, U.S. Pat. No. 5,486,111, U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,338 U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,163, U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,731, U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,326, U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,201, U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,373, U.S. Pat. No. 5,286,205 all describe ways of teaching different languages. However, none of these patents are directed to a system for increased language comprehension through interactive representation, generation and recognition of sounds, words and sentences.